Fawlty Towers to Return?

[Droflet]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

[CupofJoe]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I concur.

 

[Dave]

While it speaks of desperation, remember that Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads was, by leaps and bounds, better than The Likely Lads.

(But unfortunately, that is the single example of a comedy gold sequel that I can provide for you.)

I have to admit, this sounds more like the equivalent of Tom and Barbara Good, in their eighties, dressing a window box.

 

[Harpo]

Snavely

 

[Toby Frost]

I think to write good comedy you have to have a pretty decent grip on what's normal and what isn't, because then you understand the boundaries of what makes a character eccentric and funny. I can imagine a lot of people I disagree with on a lot of subjects writing well (PJ O'Rourke and Kingsley Amis spring to mind). Unfortunately, Cleese is sounding more and more like a crackpot with a big axe to grind, and I suspect that this will make his comedy much weaker. The original is excellent and it should be left alone.

 

[CupofJoe]

I wonder how big the armoured car was that brought the money to pay Cleese for this?

 

[Judderman]

I think 20 years ago this would have been a big deal. Now we can easily watch/stream a couple of seasons of shows each week the disappointments don’t cause such a drama. Not that is reason to make it.
Cleese still does stand up touring. Are they still very funny? He is a legend though..

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Monty Python pedant here
Ripping Yarns was Michel Palin and Terrry Jones - Eric wasn't involved
Rutland Weekend Television was Eric Idle's masterpiece after Python, which, of course, gave us the prefab four - The Rutles...

 

[paranoid marvin]

If it was a one-off '50 years later' 50 minute special that would be interesting, but a whole series? I just can't see that working. There'll likely be two camps - those too young to get the inevitable references, and those old enough to know that it's not half as good as when Manuel, Poll and Cybil were in it.

 

[farntfar]

I find myself very much in the position of those whom I criticised for making prejudgements of doom about the Rings of Power, before they had seen anything.
That is I expect it to be awful. But I shall nevertheless wait to see.

It doesn't seem to say where the new series will be shown, so maybe I won't be able to see it anyway.
Castle rock? Is that a streaming service? I certainly don't get that one.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I think that this has a lot to do with Cleese's perception of himself, not least what he sees as a cultural shift.
There has been a cultural shift, and it's "attacking" his identity.
Also... he's an old man, and sometimes old men do weird things.

 

[CupofJoe]

Castle rock? Is that a streaming service? I certainly don't get that one.

Castle Rock is part of Warner Brothers. Discovery
So I guess it will appear on what ever their Steaming Service is...
[Yes there is a full stop in the middle of the company name]

 

[Judderman]

I think Warner brothers are bringing out yet another streaming service. Includes hbo max and “discovery”. I don’t think anything to do with the discovery channel.

 

[Toby Frost]

It's worth mentioning that Fawlty Towers was written by John Cleese and Connie Booth. I don't know what level of input each of them had, but it doesn't seem that she'd be involved with the new project.

 

[farntfar]

But the daughter that's in the new series is not his daughter with Connie Booth.

 

[Elckerlyc]

John Cleese is the only one of the old cast and/or writers who is involved in this new project. Whatever this new show is going to look like, I don't expect they will be trying to copy Fawlty Towers. That would be a disaster.
That doesn't mean the result can't turn out to be something worth watching. Even half of what made Fawlty Towers great would be enough to beat half of the current sitcoms.
Perhaps it would be wise if they would make it clear is won't be Fawlty Towers in a new jacket. Even Basil must have calmed down a bit after 40 years, except for some cynicism. But that is OK, if done right.

 

[Dave]

Some people have suggested that it will be the establishment mention by the Major in the episode Waldorf Salad here:

 

[Ursa major]

I wonder if the critics will be giving it a damn good thrashing....

 

[Dave]

I wonder if the critics...

...a lot to do with Cleese's perception of himself, not least what he sees as a cultural shift...

John Cleese has said very publically that he has been cancelled for his forthright views, and that Fawlty Towers could never get made today. He is also currently producing a documentary about how he has been cancelled, and how Fawlty Towers could never be made today... at the same time as he is appearing in a documentary expressing his own views, and is now actually remaking Fawlty Towers! ....No, I don't comprehend any of it either but maybe this is in the new comedy series! This is, however, the reason why I'm skeptical about his current writing ability.

Castle Rock is part of Warner Brothers. Discovery. So I guess it will appear on what ever their Steaming Service is...

Warner brothers are bringing out yet another streaming service.

I'm certain that what we really need is a new subscription based streaming service!
It is already impossibly expensive to watch everything, but there are some really good programmes on some very obscure channels (channels you would never subscribe to, to only to watch a single series.)

If this new "Fawlty Towers" was shown on BBC TV, ITV or C4 then I'm sure it would be successful. On Castle Rock, who knows how it will do?

Also, if it were on the BBC, ITV or C4, then, however bad it actually was, it couldn't possibly be worse than Mrs Brown's Boys, Citizen Khan or Everyone Else Burns that are on currently!

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

it couldn't possibly be worse than Mrs Brown's Boys, Citizen Khan or Everyone Else Burns that are on currently!

I would like to add to that list the latest series of Bad Education. I keep watching hoping it will get better, but no...